Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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05-15-21 | Indians v. Mariners -103 | 3-7 | Win | 100 | 11 h 56 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Justus Sheffield has been alternating good and bad starts and comes off a bad one against a Rangers’ lineup that has hit lefties well this season. The Indians have not hit lefties well (.188 team Batting Average vs. left-handed pitchers) and they’ve never faced Sheffield at the Major League level. In his home ballpark, Sheffield has been much more effective. Opposing hitters have a .218 BA against him here, compared to .352 on the road. Indians’ starter Tristan McKenzie is doing okay but the team has lost four of his six starts and he has walked 8 batters in the last two, which totaled only 7 innings. |
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05-15-21 | Cardinals +121 v. Padres | 3-13 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 30 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Unit MLB Play of the Day The Padres are missing regulars Fernando Tatis, Wil Myers, Jurickson Profar, Eric Hosmer from their lineup. They must have worked their rosary beads before last night’s 5-4 win vs. St. Louis because without those bats in the lineup, they got three walks and a hit batter in the third inning to get 2 of their eventual 5 runs, which were scored with only 4 total hits. Last night’s Cardinals starter Johan Oviedo should be sent to the minors forever and subjected to repeated taunting for not taking advantage of the situation and just throwing the ball over the plate, daring the subs in a lineup that had been scoring only 4.08 runs per game with all those currently absent guys in it to hit the damn ball. The rest of the Cardinals’ pitchers who were called upon last night should be docked a week’s pay for contributing to the team total of 12 walks allowed. Unbelievable, really. But tonight’s starter, Adam Wainwright, is a crafty old pro who probably won’t make the same mistakes when the prevailing situation is so much in favor of the Cardinals. The Padres’ Chris Paddack is no slouch but he has stagnated from his 2019 rookie season when he had a 0.98 WHIP. The club is 5-8 in his starts since the beginning of 2020 and his ERA/WHIP right now are 4.78/1.41. |
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05-15-21 | Cardinals v. Padres UNDER 7 | 3-13 | Loss | -115 | 9 h 43 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units With a 5:40 pm, Pacific Time start there figures to be some shadowy things going on in the middle to later innings at Petco Park, which is already a pitcher’s ballpark and should be more so this evening because those danged shadows do nothing good for hitters. Chris Paddack is a fine, young pitcher backed by the National League’s stingiest bullpen. The Padres will be without four regulars in the lineup, due to the new national fear. Although last night’s game went Over the Total (5-4) despite the absences of Fernando Tatis, Eric Hosmer, Wil Myers and Jurickson Profar, the Cardinals pitching staff chose last night to walk 12 batters. The Padres got only 4 hits. |
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05-15-21 | Heat -4.5 v. Bucks | 108-122 | Loss | -105 | 10 h 48 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units This match-up has a shot to be the same in the first round of the playoffs. Milwaukee is coming off a clever win over Indiana but it was not easy for any of the starters. All 5 starters played at least 30 minutes with Giannis Antokounmpo logging 35. Giannis was sensational as he only missed 4 shots from the floor but now the Bucks are facing a much better defensive club. Indy has given up 115 points a night while Miami is 5th in the league in allowing points at 108 nightly. These teams split back-to-back games early in the season and Jimmy Butler didn’t play in either contest. In the 12/29 loss only one Miami starter had more than 12 points, Goran Dragic only had one bucket and Bam Adebayowas in foul trouble. Miami is coming off a win against Philly and they looked very business-minded in that game. Udonis Haslem played in his first game of the season on Thursday and he was ejected within three minutes because he would not put up with any of Dwight Howard’s shenanigans. |
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05-15-21 | Phillies -136 v. Blue Jays | 0-4 | Loss | -136 | 9 h 6 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Phillies coasted to an easy 5-1 victory in last night's series opener, winning for the 8th time in their last 11 (+$630). Tonight they face a less less impressive left-hander (Anthony Kay 9.82 ERA in two outings) with staff ace Aaron Nola on the mound (3.59 ERA in eight starts). The Phillies are available at a very reasonable price and are poised to take 1st place in the NL East. Look for the visitor to make it two in a row. |
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05-15-21 | Royals v. White Sox OVER 7.5 | 5-1 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 53 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Royals are making a human sacrifice out of veteran lefty Mike Minor. They send him out there against the team that has been on a crusade of destruction against left-handed pitching since the beginning of last season only 6 days after he gave up 5 runs in 5 innings against them in Kansas City in a 9-3 loss. Minor’s current ERA/WHIP are 5.75/1.31. Sure, Chicago starter Carlos Rodon is enjoying a resurgent season with a 5-0 record, 0.58 ERA and 0.68 WHIP in five starts, most recently 6 innings of shutout ball vs. these Royals. But — but-but-but — those numbers are unsustainable and even if he has another blanking in him, this is a situation where you’re not gonna be surprised if the White Sox exceed the Total on their own because they average 8.7 runs per game when the opponent starts a lefty. |
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05-15-21 | Celtics v. Wolves -5.5 | 124-108 | Loss | -105 | 4 h 51 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Next week, it will be written many times, in many places, by many different people, that the Celtics are entering the post-season “the wrong way.” They have the season-ending injury to Jaylen Brown, losses in which they come out and trail early to bad teams… nothing positive has been happening for them lately as they’ve sunk into the “dreaded” play-in group of four. And then, they’ll be the underdog in a few of their playoff games and win them outright, when one of the best-ever underdog post-season coaches, Brad Stevens, puts some real game plans and winning rotations together and the nonsense of the regular season stops. Here, however, it continues with the T’Wolves getting over the hump after losing in OT at Boston on April 9 |
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05-15-21 | Hornets +5.5 v. Knicks | 109-118 | Loss | -105 | 3 h 42 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Charlotte is locked in a three team chase in an effort to avoid the dreaded 9 or 10 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race, while New York is about as snug as a bug in a rug, holding down the No. 4 seed. The Hornets take the court with a 4-1 SUATS recent record in this series, as well as a 7-2-1 ATS mark when playing with same season revenge from a loss of 5 or more points in this series. New York brings in a 2-8 SUATS log into this contest at home against avenging opponents in games in which the Knicks are coming off a same season revenger with another same season revenger up next. |
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05-14-21 | Indians v. Mariners UNDER 8 | 3-7 | Loss | -120 | 10 h 28 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units We came for the Side and Total last night, too much. We’ll stay, but for only the Total tonight after the two least-hitting MLB offenses combined for only 8 hits, 6 runs in Thursday’s Under. In recent seasons, the Indians’ organization has said, ‘No big contract for you!’ to Trevor Bauer, and ‘Same to you!’ to Mike Clevinger. Both had the word “ace” in front of their names. But the franchise pretty much knew what was waiting in the wings with last night’s starter, Zach (I Shall Pitch 8 Innings of Two-Hit Ball for the Under) Plesac and tonight’s, Aaron Civale. A mystery to the Mariners, who average the fewest hits per game against pitchers they’ve seen before, Civale’s current ERA and WHIP are 2.91 and 1.04. Chris isn’t Flexen his muscles much so far for Seattle (3.43 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) but as noted yesterday, the offenses average about 6.5 hits per game each. |
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05-14-21 | Raptors v. Mavs -13.5 | 110-114 | Loss | -106 | 9 h 23 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Toronto went into the tank a while back and they have absolutely nothing to play for here. Dallas still has to hustle and win this game and their last regular season game in Minnesota to be the master of their own playoff destiny. Timmy Hardaway Jr. has been filling it up of late for the Texans and when Toronto beat Dallas early in the season, Luca Doncic only had 15 points. The Canadians were in Chicago on Thursday and the tank performance was in full bloom as the Bulls had a 66 to 47 lead after 24 minutes and the Raptors further relented. Consider that Toronto is 7-47 ATS in games they lose when playing without rest against foes avenging a same season loss of 6 or more points. |
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05-14-21 | Reds v. Rockies -110 | 6-9 | Win | 100 | 9 h 1 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units See how nicely we link one selection into the next? Veteran lefty Wade Miley of the Reds is the guy who threw the no-hitter against the Indians in his last start, the day after the Cleveland had swept the four games at Kansas City. His curveball and slider were moving all over the place that night. They have to. His fastball has topped the radar gun at only 89.5 mph this season. But when a pitcher is throwing in Coors Field, the very different atmospheric conditions prevent the ball from breaking as much as it normally would. Miley normally lasts 5 innings in his starts, 6 innings tops. But he went the full 9 against Cleveland, throwing 114 pitches. With a lesser breaking ball and sub-par fastball, he’ll be lucky to last 3 innings tonight. German Marquez’s overall numbers do not impress. But three bad starts (mixed with five good to “just fine” outings) have played a big part in creating the 5.65 ERA and 1.65 WHIP that we feel are enroute to being lowered. |
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05-14-21 | Reds v. Rockies OVER 10.5 | 6-9 | Win | 100 | 8 h 18 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units You better believe we’re going right back to Coors Field on the Over side with this match-up after they scored 21 runs for us last night. Wade Miley is coming off a no-hitter. When a journeyman like Miley pitches a no-hitter, how can you not expect him to give up 6 runs in less than 5 innings next time out? Miley relies on curves and sliders that move a lot. In the Coors Field air, pitchers don’t get the kind of movement they need on those pitches. That’s why Coors Field scores are so high, and that’s why Miley, who has pitched for about 29 major league teams, more than likely will never be extended a contract by the Rockies. Meanwhile, German Marquez has been a disappointment with a 5.65 ERA and the Reds can hit. |
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05-14-21 | Jazz -14.5 v. Thunder | 109-93 | Win | 100 | 8 h 21 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units OKC competed for the first 24 minutes in the loss on Tuesday but then were outscored by 23 in the third quarter as Sacramento soared. The Thunder have lost 8 in a row and has only won twice in their last 27 games. OKC’s Gabriel Deck has moved into the rotation but he has only played 8 NBA games. Utah is clinging to the top seed in the West. They have lost two in a row. They have never lost 3 in a row this season. In the games this season following 2 losses, Utah has won by 13, 15, 17 and 50 points |
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05-14-21 | Magic v. 76ers -13.5 | 97-122 | Win | 100 | 8 h 54 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Cruel and unusual punishment for the Magic. The league is asking them to play a second of road back-to-backs against the rested top team in the Eastern Conference which, while it doesn’t need a win to stay there, would bring Philly’s magic number to 1 for clinching the East’s #1 seed, from a pool of their next game, also vs. Orlando, and Brooklyn’s two vs. Chicago and Cleveland. It would be classic Doc Rivers to have his team primed and ready to destroy a weakling off two road losses at Indiana and Miami in which the 76ers failed to reach 100 points in either. |
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05-14-21 | A's v. Twins OVER 8.5 | 6-1 | Loss | -112 | 8 h 46 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units Matt Shoemaker does great against Detroit, the run-scoring team in what you call your Major League Baseball. Against most other teams, not so good. The former Angel meets a familiar foe tonight as the A’s hit town hot off a sweep in Fenway Park. Bang-zoom, we say. He’s already lost 7-0 and 8-6 games to Oakland and Seattle, two of the teams who chased him out of the AL West so that Minnesota would throw him a bone. Aren’t the A’s happy to meet up with him tonight as they have a nice, fat .905 OPS against Shoemaker from 98 at-bats? After Shoemaker, the Twins bullpen has guys ready to be as detrimental to their team as Shoemaker. Meanwhile, Oakland’s Frankie Montas: 5.50 ERA, 1.44 WHIP. This is on the heels of a 2020 season in which those numbers were 5.60, 1.51. We’re on a track here, Frankie, and it’s a less than ordinary one. |
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05-14-21 | Maple Leafs -141 v. Jets | 2-4 | Loss | -141 | 5 h 58 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Foligno wasn't satisfied with how the Leafs performed in their most recent game, though Toronto still secured a point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday. The Maple Leafs have gone nine games (7-0-2) without a regulation loss. The Jets hope Tuesday's 5-0 shutout of the Vancouver Canucks has already served as their turn-around game. Winnipeg entered that game amid what team captain Blake Wheeler described as "as adverse of a stretch as I've been through." The Jets were 1-9-0 with only 17 goals scored in their previous 10 outings. |
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05-14-21 | Cubs -128 v. Tigers | Top | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 8 h 34 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit MLB Play of the Day This is similar to Cleveland’s four-game sweep of Kansas City recently that was followed the next day by a shutout, no-hitter loss at Cincinnati. Tonight we have the Tigers hosting the Cubs after they, too, swept their AL Central division rival, Kansas City, in a three-game series completed yesterday. The Tigers are now thinking who the heck they are, forgetting that they actually are 13-24 with the worst run differential in MLB, -64. While sweeping the poor Royals, current losers of 11 straight, the Detroit bullpen managed several miraculous escapes from self-inflicted damage, living up to its MLB worst ERA (6.55) and WHIP (1.75). Tonight they ask a lefty with a 1-9 career W/L record, and a 5.67 ERA and 1.59 WHIP after five starts this season, to hold down the Cubs before the bullpen comes in and inevitably gives up runs. Tarik Skubal has appeared in a total of seven games for the Tigers this season and they have lost all seven. The Cubs are only 4-11 on the road but this is the first time they play a road game against a last-place team with a -64 run differential, right? Right. |
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05-13-21 | Indians v. Mariners +109 | 4-2 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 28 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units A double-shot of love, or like, or just gut-feel on tonight’s match-up between the Indians and Mariners in Seattle for several reasons. The Mariners average the fewest hits per game in Major League Baseball. They’re only getting 6.46 hits per game. Hard to score a lot of runs getting less than 7 hits per game. But the Indians are right behind them, or ahead of them, or however you want to look at it, #29 in hits per game at 6.82. Tonight is the MLB debut of Seattle righthander Logan Gilbert. He was their #1 draft choice in 2018 and has zipped through the minor leagues with a 5.5 to 1 K-BB ratio and ERA barely above 2.00. He threw 2 innings against the Angels in a March exhibition game and struck out Mike Trout and three others. He would have been with the team from opening day but the Mariners could save money on contracts by waiting until now to bring in some rookies. Who can blame them? It’s their team, their money. The team president got fired for admitting as much, which is one of the problems with the world today. These ballplayers make enough money. The team that pays it should be able to do what it wants to do, say what it wants to say about it. Anyway, Zach Plesac is making the Indians look smart for not wanting to pay the big money to that whiny righthander guy on the Dodgers and the other righty who’s injured on the Padres. He has a 1.03 WHIP, 31-7 K-BB, the Mariners have never faced him, and the best bullpen around for after he’s done. |
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05-13-21 | Indians v. Mariners UNDER 7.5 | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 10 h 28 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units The Mariners seem to have picked a good spot for the Major League debut of Logan Gilbert, their #1 pick in the 2018 draft. He has wowed ‘em in the minors following the requisite Tommy John surgery, and made a quickie appearance in spring training fanning four Angels in two innings. Did they start him in Dodger Stadium against the Dodgers? Of course not! They’re starting him against a lighter-hitting team in their own, larger, pitcher-friendly ballpark. Where they’ll have trouble separating on the scoreboard because they don’t hit much and Zach Plesac — who they’ve never faced — is pitching pretty well for the Indians. He hasn’t allowed a run to the Reds or White Sox in his last two starts, a 3-0 loss and 5-0 win. |
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05-13-21 | Reds v. Rockies OVER 11 | 8-13 | Win | 100 | 7 h 22 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units The Rockies played a doubleheader yesterday against an opponent with the National League’s best bullpen, who started All-Star and Cy Young-quality guys Yu Darvish and Blake Snell. Also, the Padres had key hitters out because of the ol’ Virus Thing. It was a depleted lineup, with Fernando Tatis the most noteworthy absence. Tonight, after working through the bullpen in a doubleheader, they ask Chi-Chi Gonzalez to give them some innings against a heavier hitting lineup averaging 5.24 runs per game. The Reds are averaging only 3.59 runs per game on the road but ah, they haven’t played a game in Coors Field yet, or faced Chi-Chi, against whom opposing hitters often Cha-Cha around the basepaths. Their own starter, Luis Castillo, hasn’t been pitching like the guy everyone knew the last two seasons. He has a 1.63 WHIP and 6.42 ERA. Usually, pitching in Coors Field isn’t going to help a guy who’s going like that. Both of these bullpen can take a 7-0 lead and turn it into a 7-6 game faster than you can say, ‘Rob Dibble!’ |
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05-13-21 | Nuggets v. Wolves +5 | 114-103 | Loss | -110 | 8 h 16 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Denver is locked into either a third or fourth seed in the West. They beat the Wolves in back-to-back games this season. In the first win Jamal Murray had 36 points and thhe Wolves Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t play while Anthony Edwards had 5 points. In the second Denver win over this club this season Denver had to rally to win by 7 points and again Towns didn’t play. Murray is out indefinitely. The Wolves have won 6 of their last 9. Three of those wins were by between 14 and 32 points and one of the losses came in overtime. |
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05-13-21 | Raptors v. Bulls -10 | 102-114 | Win | 100 | 7 h 54 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Raptors’ head coach Nick Nurse says he is “extremely optimistic” about a young, developing group. Dude, your franchise won the NBA Championship two seasons ago. So many of the players from that squad are on other teams already. Your country didn’t want you this season. What are you optimistic about? Doesn’t seem like Fred Van Vleet or Kyle Lowry will see the floor again this season, leaving Malachi Flynn, Deandre Bembry and Jalen Harris to mishandle the ball and sometimes dish it to Yuta Watanabe for another missed shot. |
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05-13-21 | Wild -106 v. Blues | 3-7 | Loss | -106 | 5 h 36 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Blues took last night's game by a score of 4-0. While tonight's game is essentially now meaningless, last night's poor effort should bring out the best in the Wild. Though staying healthy is key, teams also want to turn up the intensity before the playoffs. The Wild didn't do that last night. While the Blues are 5-6 (-3.1) when playing the second of b2b games, the Wild are 7-3 (+3.2) when doing so. Consider Minnesota. |
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05-13-21 | Spurs v. Knicks -5.5 | 98-102 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 48 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Knicks are comfortably in the playoffs even though they dropped a couple of slots on Tuesday while the Spurs will have to fight in ‘play in’ competition. The Spurs were in Brooklyn on Wednesday and San Antonio never recovered after losing the first quarter by 15 points. The Texans beat the Knicks in their only match-up this season but the Knicks had excuses. Julius Randle only had 14 points, 2 New York starters had 7 points combined and Elfrid Payton and Derrick Rose didn’t play. This is the first game back for the Knicks after going 3 and 3 on the road including an overtime loss to the Lakers on Tuesday. The Knicks have had 3 other road trips this season of at least 4 games and they won the first game back all 3 times. |
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05-13-21 | 76ers v. Heat -2 | 94-106 | Win | 100 | 8 h 41 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Another of our most reliable coaches in play tonight when Miami's Erik Spoelstra hopes to do everything in his power to help secure a coveted 6th see in next weeks upcoming NBA playoffs. Currently in a wild scramble with the Celtics and Hawks in the Eastern Conference playoff race to secure a No. 6 seed, the Heat will have a double revenge chip on their shoulder tonight after being handled twice in back-to-back contests in Philly in January. That turns it all over to Spoelstra, who brings a lofty 48-24 SU and 46-26 ATS record into the contest when playing with same season revenge from a conference loss of 12 or more points, including 17-6 ATS from Game 70 out. Spoelstra is also 32-11 SU and 31-12 ATS at home from Game 60 our versus .666 or grater opponents. With the Sixers just 7-11-2 ATS away in non-divisional game under had coach Doc Rivers, we're all over Miami. |
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05-13-21 | Twins v. White Sox -127 | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 2 h 24 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The White Sox drubbed the fading Twins again last night, and they will send another effective pitcher in today's series finale. Lance Lynn has a stellar 1.52 ERA in five starts this year, and he should fare well against a Minnesota team that is only 7-14 (-$1420) in day games. Chicago is on top in the AL Central and riding a five game winning streak. Great price on the hot road team today at Guaranteed Rate Field. |
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05-13-21 | Cardinals +129 v. Brewers | 2-0 | Win | 129 | 2 h 4 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Good things tend to happen when Jack Flaherty starts for the Cardinals. We keep saying he’ll be a -160 or greater pitcher as a matter of routine, and yet here is as underdog pitching for the team with the second best record in MLB at the moment. A bit counterintuitive on the part of ‘The Man’ to make a team 7-0 with this pitcher starting, with baseball’s second-best record and better overall hitting than the home team, the underdog. Flaherty has a 2.83 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 42-11 K-BB in 41 1/3 IP. Corbin Burnes’ numbers are better. But he hasn’t started since April 26 and the Brewers are only 2-3 when he starts because, as we said, they don’t hit as well as the Cardinals. They’ve lost 8-0, 3-1 and 2-0 games started by Burnes, the 3-1 loss at St. Louis when he was opposed by Adam Wainwright. |
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05-10-21 | Rangers +133 v. Giants | 1-3 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 35 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Quick — what Major League Baseball team has been the most profitable on a flat-bet, game-by-game basis this season? If you guessed the Texas Rangers, then you guessed correctly. You’ll recall, of course, that the Rangers were pretty much death to backers in 2020 with MLB’s second-worst Won-Loss record and the absolute worst Run Differential of -88, scoring an average of only 3.73 runs per game. Because so many people expect last season to be duplicated the next, you instead have the Rangers at 18-18, only 3 games out of first place in the AL West, reaping rewards for their backers via generous underdog odds with help from an offense generating 4.39 runs per game, more than a half-run more than last year. It’s been a while since anybody on the Giants has faced Kyle Gibson. Those who have combine for a mere .208 On-Base Percentage against him, earned when he wasn’t pitching as well as he has been lately: six straight quality starts totaling 33 IP, with only 3 ER allowed in that span. Lefty Alex Wood has given the Giants four fine starts, t’is true. But the Rangers have found ways to be 12-4 when the other side starts a lefty and in limited exposure to Wood (21 at-bats) they have 9 hits including 3 doubles and a homer. |
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05-10-21 | Hurricanes -137 v. Predators | 0-5 | Loss | -137 | 9 h 47 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Predators were the last team to clinch a postseason spot in the division, doing so with a 3-1 home victory against the Hurricanes on Saturday night. That result ended Carolina's 13-game points streak, a string that had matched the franchise's all-time mark. The Predators appeared to be the more motivated team Saturday. The Hurricanes clinched the top seed in the Central Division on Friday when the Tampa Bay Lightning lost to Dallas. Nashville has won only one of the seven meetings with Carolina this season. Some adjustments are to be expected from both teams. Carolina has lost consecutive games -- including Thursday night in overtime to Chicago -- for just the third time since mid-March. "More importantly is going to be for us to finish strong," Brind'Amour said. "We don't want to pick up any (bad habits). We don't want to derail a real good season we've had to date by kind of finishing iffy." Consider that Carolina is 35-16 in their last 51 games as a favorite. |
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05-10-21 | Pacers -8.5 v. Cavs | 111-102 | Win | 100 | 8 h 34 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Cleveland had lost 9 of their last 10 games before facing Dallas on Sunday. In that contest Cleveland lost every single quarter. There are some internal issues going on in Indiana but they played hard when losing by a point in overtime on Saturday against Washington. The Pacers are trying to sweep the season series here. Indy handled Cleveland easily early in the season and they beat them in March when they forced 25 turnovers. |
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05-10-21 | Pacers v. Cavs OVER 230 | 111-102 | Loss | -113 | 7 h 25 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units The Cavaliers are the lowest scoring team in the NBA at 103.7 ppg. But everybody has been filling the net against the Pacers recently. Their saving grace is that they have plenty of scoring themselves. Without the inside presence of Myles Turner, most opponents have been getting to the hoop with no problem against matador Indiana defense. Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has targeted the low scoring output and having his players play at a quicker tempo, taking more shots, which has completely ruined their already ordinary-at-best defensive capabilities. |
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05-10-21 | Red Sox v. Orioles OVER 9 | 1-4 | Loss | -104 | 7 h 53 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units The Red Sox have MLB’s #1 On-Base plus Slugging Percentage (a stat known as “OPS”). It’s .778, for those of you scoring at home. (Dodgers are #2 at .748.) Their On-Base percentage against tonight’s Orioles’ starter, Jorge Lopez, is .364. Their Slugging Percentage against him is .665. Add those two up for a Red Sox OPS of 1.029 against Lopez, considerably higher than their current MLB-best number, and it seems like Lopez can be pinata-like for the visiting bats. Which is a good thing for Boston because their starter, Martin Perez, has yet to earn a W in six starts and the Orioles’ On-Base and Slugging Percentages against him are .419 and .672, which adds up to a higher OPS than Boston vs. Lopez: 1.092. Yay-hoo. |
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05-09-21 | Bulls -9 v. Pistons | 108-96 | Win | 100 | 10 h 9 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Second of road back-to-backs for the Pistons. Home hasn’t been where the heart is for Chicago, on balance, but the road, with no rest, against a rested home side, is no place for a talent-challenged bottom-scraper with the fewest road wins in the NBA. Now that the pressure is off and the Bulls know they have less than a snowball’s chance in hell to make the play-in, they’ve started to play well with a switch in strategy – Vucevic to small forward as a nightmare match-up for, so far, Charlotte and Boston. |
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05-09-21 | Pelicans v. Hornets -4 | 112-110 | Loss | -110 | 9 h 5 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units New Orleans will be without both Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson here. On top of that Steven Adams is dealing with a toe issue, Josh Hart just had surgery and Nickeil Alexander-Walker has a sprained ankle. Charlotte beat the Pelicans in January despite the fact the Pelican’s Williamson had 26, Ingram had 17, 8 boards and 8 assists and Hart had 19 points off the bench. Charlotte is coming off a win over Orlando when their starting guards combined for 55 points, 12 assists and 11 boards. |
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05-09-21 | Pelicans v. Hornets UNDER 222.5 | 112-110 | Win | 100 | 8 h 14 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units No Zion Williamson, no Brandon Ingram, no problem playing defense for the Hornets, probably. The Ball Brothers — Lonzo for the visitor, LaMelo for the home team — will engage in a 3-point missing contest. Via some miracle, the Pelicans have the NBA’s second-best defensive efficiency rating in the last 15 games, a number that should remain in range with Devonte’ Graham, Gordon Hayward and probably Miles Bridges out for Charlotte. |
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05-09-21 | Stars v. Blackhawks OVER 5.5 | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 9 h 32 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units In a season that started with turmoil with the eventual season-long absence of captain Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks will end 2021 in sixth place, but the club is coming off the momentum of Thursday's 2-1 overtime win over the Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C. Despite the absence of its captain, goaltending that ranks in the lower half of the league, a host of injuries and a ton of youth, Chicago can find some solace in the reemergence of right winger Alex DeBrincat. Consider that the over is 6-1-5 in Stars last 12 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game, 6-1-2 in Stars last 9 vs. a team with a losing record, and 11-2-3 in Stars last 16 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game. In addition the over is 6-2-1 in Blackhawks last 9 when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game and 5-2 in Blackhawks last 7 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game. |
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05-09-21 | Phillies -107 v. Braves | 1-6 | Loss | -107 | 4 h 23 m | Show | |
Rating: 5 Units The Phillies posted a 12-2 victory on Friday before the Braves rallied for four runs in the 12th inning for a stunning 8-7 win on Saturday. Philadelphia is 5-3 against Atlanta this season. Philadelphia ace Aaron Nola (3-1, 2.89 ERA) will be opposed by Atlanta right-hander Huascar Ynoa (3-1, 2.36). Nola has faced the Braves once this season. The right-hander received a no-decision after allowing two runs on six hits and six strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings on April 1. He has made 21 career starts against Atlanta, going 11-6 with a 3.03 ERA. |
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05-09-21 | Padres -152 v. Giants | 11-1 | Win | 100 | 3 h 22 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Padres bullpen days are as good as most of the best teams’ bullpen days. Lefty Ryan Weathers is a candidate and he could go anywhere from 3 to 5 2/3 innings based on recent appearances. Starter Dinelson Lamet is another possibility. He got hurt recently but returned to pitch two relief innings earlier in the week. Behind these two shorties is a bullpen with a National League-low 2.80 ERA, and third-lowest WHIP of 1.12. Giants’ 35-year-old Johnny Cueto hasn’t pitched for real in 3.5 weeks after suffering an in-game (sixth inning) lat strain while he was pitching very well against the Reds. Cueto started three games against the Padres last season and San Diego scored 6, 6, 7 runs in them. The Giants won one of them, but in order to do it they had to overcome the 4 runs that Cueto allowed in 3 2/3 innings. |
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05-09-21 | Pirates v. Cubs OVER 6 | 6-5 | Win | 100 | 3 h 26 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units The wind is blowing in from left field at Wrigley Field today. The Man sees that and gets cute with a low Total, thinking, ‘Hey, nobody will hit any home runs.’ But he apparently has forgotten that Kyle Hendricks is a low-ball pitcher and doesn’t give up many home runs anyway, and that the Pirates can just put the bat on the ball in the freezing cold and bang out some ground ball hits, with a few errors on both sides, combined with the Cubs averaging more than 7 runs per game when the other side starts a lefthander. The Pirates’ lefthander Tyler Williams gave up 10 hits to the Cubs in Pittsburgh on Apr. 8 and five Cubbies are hitting between .300 and .750 against him. |
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05-09-21 | Rockies v. Cardinals -145 | 0-2 | Win | 100 | 4 h 35 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Cardinals are surging (8-2, +$605 last 10 days) as they go for a sweep in today's series finale. The Rockies are wallowing in last place with a dreadful 8-17 record vs. right-handers (-$770), and starter German Marquez has not had any success so far in 2021 (6.21 ERA in his seven outings so far). Veteran Adam Wainwright is available at a reasonable price, so stick with the hot home team today at Busch Stadium. |
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05-09-21 | White Sox v. Royals OVER 7.5 | 9-3 | Win | 104 | 4 h 15 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units As noted yesterday, and before that, the White Sox have made a habit of devouring left-handed pitching since the beginning of last season. That Royals rookie was fresh meat on their table last night, worth 8 runs in the first inning. Yowser. Mike Minor is certainly a much more experienced, crafty lefthander than young Daniel Lynch, who may never recover from last night’s shelling. But after going 12-8 and 14-10 in 2018 and 2019 for Texas, Minor was 0-5 with a 5.48 ERA for them last season before being traded to Oakland, where he was a spot reliever. So far he has a 5.23 ERA and 1.32 ERA for the Royals after six starts. Yawn. He exits three starts against the light-hitting Tigers, Pirates, Indians and his new team has now lost seven straight. But after being shut out twice in a row, then getting only 1 run last night, the Royals are due for better against Lucas Giolito, whose no-hitter form from last season gets farther in the rear-view. Seven different Royals have homered 8 times against Giolito in 132 at-bats. |
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05-09-21 | Brewers v. Marlins -132 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -132 | 3 h 20 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit MLB Play of the Day The Marlins have a +21 Run Differential but are in fourth place in the NL East. The other four teams in the division have negative run differentials. What’s up with that? Danged if we know. But we do know that Sandy Alcantara, their starter, has a 2.95 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 42-12 K-BB in 42 2/3 innings and that he beat the Brewers 6-2 with 7 innings of 5-hit, 2-run ball on Apr. 28 in Milwaukee. Like the Giants with Cueto below, Milwaukee is bringing a relatively old guy, Brett Anderson, off the injured list. He lasted 1/3 of an inning against the Cubs on April 24 before straining his hamstring. 60-year-olds could probably last longer out there without injuring themselves than some of these 30-something MLB pitchers. The Brewers had lost 6 in a row before yesterday’s win here, when the 6 runs they got matched their highest single-game output since May 1. They haven’t scored more than 6 in a game since Moby Dick was a minnow (actually, since beating the Pirates 7-1 on April 17). The fine Milwaukee bullpen has a match in Miami’s, which owns a NL-best 1.01 WHIP. |
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05-09-21 | Heat v. Celtics +1 | 130-124 | Loss | -110 | 3 h 7 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units The first of two games in three nights between #7 Boston and #6 Miami, the Heat one game ahead coming off a home win. The Celtics return home off a no-show road loss. Of course, you know that #1 through #6 don’t have to deal with the play-in. Everyone assumes that this creates urgency among the players on both teams in a situation like tonight’s, to avoid that play-in. There’s also the chance that as highly paid pros who get paid to play the next game on the schedule, they don’t really care much. If it means anything to them, the Celtics know that if they sweep, then they’ll have swept the season series 3-0 and regain a 1-game edge. A split leaves them 2-1 in the season series and still 1 game behind with three to play, not the end of the world. |
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05-08-21 | Spurs v. Blazers -6 | 102-124 | Win | 100 | 11 h 14 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Not many teams will win games shooting 4-for-22 from three-point range but the Spurs had the good fortune to be playing Sacramento with De’Aaron Fox out and were able to shoot 51.7% overall. Portland is not a collection of defensive wizards but they can score. Also, when New Orleans gagged it away in the fourth quarter last night at Philly, it enabled the Spurs to get 2.5 games in front of them as well as 3.5 in front of Sacramento for the #10 slot. Breathing room. Last night’s was a “gotta have it.” They got it, therefore, tonight’s is not a gotta have it. |
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05-08-21 | Phillies v. Braves OVER 8.5 | 7-8 | Win | 100 | 8 h 29 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Off six innings of 4-hit, 1-run ball vs. the offensively suspect Brewers, Vince Velasquez seems destined for one of his 4-inning stints of giving up 6 hits and 4 runs. He’s allowed 5 home runs in his last 3 starts. The Braves can’t hit lefties very well but unless Velasquez has learned to throw with his left arm within the last five days, he’ll be throwing right-handed to an Atlanta lineup where Ronald Acuna, Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Pablo Sandoval and Dansby Swanson are all hitting between .300 and .345 against him. Although Atlanta’s Ian Anderson recently duplicated his playoff-game whiz start against the Dodgers when he 1-hit the Cubs over 7 innings, he’s allowed 3 or 4 runs in three of his five starts, including to these Phillies on April 10 (5 hits, 4 runs, 2 homers in 5 1/3 innings). Neither bullpen sports a crack brigade of volunteer or professional firemen. |
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05-08-21 | Blue Jays v. Astros -141 | Top | 8-4 | Loss | -141 | 8 h 26 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit MLB Play of the Day Uh-oh! Steven Matz may be back. The guy who showed up in Matz’ uniform for his first four starts as a member of the Blue Jays looked a lot better than the guy who pitched for the Mets the last few seasons. The new guy |
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05-08-21 | White Sox -155 v. Royals | 9-1 | Win | 100 | 8 h 22 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Royals’ rookie lefthander Daniel Lynch had a very promising Major League debut earlier this week vs. Cleveland. But promising doesn’t butter the biscuit. He pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowed 4 hits and 3 runs. He walked 4 and struck out 3. Cleveland struggles to hit .200 against left-handed pitching. Today he gets thrown to the wolves against a White Sox lineup that has devoured left-handed pitching since the beginning of last season and is hitting .300 against it this season. The Royals began the week in first place. They had big dreams. Now they’ve lost six in a row to three different teams in their division who aren’t last-place Detroit. They haven’t scored a run in two games and are asking a rookie to hold down this lineup in what has been a bad match-up for many a lefthander, when Lance Lynn (innings-eating stalwart with a 1.82 ERA, 0.97 WHIP) is pitching against them. Seems like an unreasonable request. Lynn pitched a complete-game shutout against KC on April 8. |
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05-08-21 | Wizards -3.5 v. Pacers | 133-132 | Loss | -105 | 8 h 12 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Indy’s Malcolm Brogdon has been dealing with a hammy and the Pacers are trying to avoid a season series sweep by Washington in this game. They lost to the Wizards in March despite the fact Washington turned it over 18 times. The Pacers lost a barn burner to Washington just 5 nights ago 154 to 141. In that game, Washington got 24 assists from Russell Westbrook and 50 assists overall. The Wizards have won 4 of 6 and the losses during this time frame were each by a mere point. Washington got by Toronto on Thursday despite foul trouble and a poor shooting night for Westbrook. |
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05-08-21 | Pirates +166 v. Cubs | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 3 h 27 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Cubs are riding a four game win streak at the moment, but they could be vulnerable to the underdog Pirates today. Pittsburgh has a profitable record in day games away from PNC Park (+$575) and Trevor Williams has pitched poorly for Chicago thus far (6.00 ERA his six outings). The Cubs are only 9-15 vs. righties in 2021 (-$565, 3.7 runs per game) so take a shot with the visiting underdog this afternoon. |
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05-07-21 | Knicks +7 v. Suns | 105-128 | Loss | -106 | 12 h 33 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Unit Phoenix had to play extremely hard to beat New York last month. The Knicks were tied with the Suns going into the fourth quarter but lost that stanza by 8, the same margin of the Suns’ victory. The Knicks scored 12 points in the first 12 minutes in Denver on Wednesday but they won every other quarter. The ball stuck on the offensive end and Julius Randle had an off shooting night. New York can’t fall asleep in these final regular season games. New York’s bench outplayed the Phoenix bench in defeat last month outscoring the Phoenix reserves 47 to 32. |
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05-07-21 | Nuggets v. Jazz -4 | 120-127 | Win | 100 | 11 h 37 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Denver came from 3-1 down to beat the Jazz in the 2020 post-season. The sides have split two games in Denver. Utah survived 35 and 30 points by Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic to win the first 109-105. They entered the second meeting on an 11-game winning streak, but trailed 79-54 at halftime and that was that. They catch the Nuggets at home for the first time since… a 98-95 loss last February when the Nuggets were just about as short-handed as they are right now with one large difference – Jamal Murray out this time |
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05-07-21 | Cavs v. Mavs -9.5 | 90-110 | Win | 100 | 10 h 9 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Despite it being a second of back-to-backs for an 8-16 ATS home favorite merely 6-8 ATS with no rest, it figures as a gimme for the Mavericks given the manner in which the Cavaliers have been going about their business. On the floor for only 26 and 13 minutes, Kevin Love and Isaiah Hartenstein had plus-minuses of -45 and -29 the other night. Jeez. |
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05-07-21 | Reds +136 v. Indians | 3-0 | Win | 136 | 10 h 5 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The unwritten rule in baseball says that after a team concludes a four-game road sweep of a division rival, to vault into sole possession of first place over that rival in their division, you go against it as it changes venues for the next game, especially when it’s an Interleague game. Never seen that rule? Well, we said it’s unwritten. But now we just wrote it. It’s as close as it gets to a “letdown” theory for baseball, something that often gets applied in football and basketball. In only 29 at-bats against him, Reds batters have hit 5 home runs against Indians starter Zach Plesac. Wade Miley of the Reds is no prize, but sometimes ya’ gotta bite the bullet and go with your gut. |
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05-07-21 | Rockets v. Bucks -16.5 | 133-141 | Loss | -103 | 10 h 35 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units We have a problem in Houston. The Rockets are reeling with injury issues and only 7 guys played in the loss to Philly on Wednesday. Kelly Olynyk and Christian Wood are iffy for this game and Kevin Porter Jr., who scored 50 the last time these teams met, is out. The Bucks have won 4 in a row including consecutive wins over Brooklyn. Bobby Portis has been solid off the bench for Milwaukee scoring 11 a night and pulling down 7 boards. Houston upset the Bucks and the end of April but Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo only played 46 seconds. Milwaukee will try to run this club out of the gym. |
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05-07-21 | Diamondbacks +118 v. Mets | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 47 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit MLB Play of the Day The Mets scored 1, 7, 4 runs in the three games after their two hitting coaches were fired. That works out to 4 runs per game, better than the 3.3 or so they were averaging prior. But, of course, that sample is short, and it’s also less than the D-Backs’ average of 4.97 runs per game, 4.5 on the road. All things being equal — which they hardly ever are but let’s ignore that — the Mets still have a ways to go before they can be counted upon to flip-flop and outscore people on a regular basis when favored to do so starting a lefthander like David Peterson. With less than a full season of MLB experience under his belt, Peterson has mastered the Phillies. But tonight’s opposing lineup isn’t the Phillies and is chewing up lefties with MLB’s highest Slugging Percentage and OPS: .511 and .858 in that category. Arizona’s 14 home runs against left-handed pitchers in only 231 at-bats is more than a whole bunch of teams have against lefties in considerably more at-bats. |
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05-07-21 | Twins v. Tigers OVER 8.5 | 7-3 | Win | 100 | 9 h 42 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The only team that Minnesota’s long, black-bearded mediocrity, Matt Shoemaker, pitches well against is the Tigers. He’s from the Detroit area. He must be angry at them for not drafting him. He went 6 innings against them at Detroit on April 5, giving up only 3 hits and 1 run. They’re 7-for-58 against him lifetime. But the Twins have lost his 5 starts since, and Shoemaker’s ERA and WHIP are 7.83 and 1.57. Even if he pitches his usual gem, note the score of his April 5 win vs. the Tigers: 15-6. These bullpens are horrible. Minnesota’s can’t strike anybody out and the closer they coveted, Alex Colome, has a 6.17 ERA and 1.80 WHIP. Way to go, buddy. Meanwhile, the Tigers have lost all six games in which Tarik Skubal has appeared. His starts have not lasted longer than 5 innings and have mostly been shorter than that. HIs ERA and WHIP are 6.14 and 1.68, and the Tigers’ bullpen that figures to be used for at least half the game has the MLB-high ERA and WHIPs of 6.61 and 1.72. |
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05-07-21 | Flyers v. Capitals -178 | 4-2 | Loss | -178 | 9 h 49 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Washington Capitals are locked in a battle for the top spot in the East Division and will finish the regular season with a three-game homestand, the first of which comes tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. Washington (34-14-5, 73 points) is tied with Pittsburgh (35-16-3, 73 points) for the division's top spot. The Capitals do have a game in hand on the Penguins while Boston (31-14-7, 69 points) and the New York Islanders (31-16-6, 68 points) sit right behind. All four teams have already clinched playoff spots. The Flyers (23-23-7, 53 points) have been eliminated from the playoff race. Consider that Philadelphia is 7-18 in their last 25 games as an underdog. |
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05-06-21 | Lakers v. Clippers UNDER 211.5 | Top | 94-118 | Loss | -110 | 6 h 41 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit NBA Total of the Day All reports indicate that neither Lebron James nor Dennis Schroeder will suit up for the Lakers tonight. Those are the two guys for whom the offense flows its best. They won a game vs. Denver the other night without them, when both teams scored less than 100 points. When you have good defenders, you give yourself a chance to win that way. Kahwi Leonard has been deferring to Clippers’ teammates lately while he plays with a nagging injury. |
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05-06-21 | Hawks v. Pacers +6 | 126-133 | Win | 100 | 8 h 42 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units After last night’s 104-93 loss to the Kings, the Pacers are 11-20 SU on their home court. This team is a joke. But – you had a feeling we were going to pivot and talk up a distasteful team, didn’t you? -- the best thing Indiana has going for it tonight is that the Hawks shot 63.1% at home last night in their most dominant win of the season, while the Pacers underperformed offensively in all four quarters vs. the Kings. It’s a zig-zaggy, bouncy spot: What went up must come down, while what went down must come up |
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05-06-21 | Nets -3.5 v. Mavs | 109-113 | Loss | -109 | 7 h 14 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units The Mavericks ended a long winning streak for the Nets the last time they were matched up. Dallas forced 19 turnovers in that win, were a plus 7 in steals and a plus 4 in blocks. In that game, Kristaps Porzingas had 18 points, a steal and 3 blocks but he will be missing in action for this. As talented at Brooklyn is across the board, there still is only one ball and that issue may come up when the Big Three on the Nets get on the court at the same time. Brooklyn just lost a pair to the Bucks and will be trying not to drop their fourth straight game. The motivation should be there. In that Dallas win in February, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant didn’t play and only one player for Brooklyn had more than 12 points. This is an important game for both clubs as the Nets are eyeing the top Eastern seed and Dallas is trying to avoid ending up in a ‘play in’ situation. |
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05-06-21 | Braves v. Nationals -104 | 3-2 | Loss | -104 | 4 h 42 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Braves insist on putting Drew Smyly out there. Since signing him for one year at $1 million, they are 0-4 in Smyly’s starts that have totaled 19 innings, and |
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05-06-21 | Indians v. Royals -125 | Top | 4-0 | Loss | -125 | 2 h 49 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit MLB Play of the Day As duly noted on this page five days ago, life generally yields better results to people when they’re not waking up in parked cars at 5 am. For lefthanded starter Danny Duffy of the Royals, currently tied for first place with the White Sox and Indians in the American League Central, this change has resulted in a 4-1 record with a 0.60 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, with 34-9 K-BB. He got it all started with 6 innings of 2-hit, shutout ball at Cleveland in KC’s 3-0 win on April 5. The Indians are hitting only .198 vs. left-handed pitching and offer up Tristan McKenzie on getaway day of a series they lead 3-0. So, the Royals are playing to avoid being swept in addition to getting a one-game lead on the Indians. McKenzie’s control, or lack of it, suggests that he ain’t up to the task: 18 walks in 18 2/3 innings. Ya’ can’t walk that many guys and expect to win in this league. |
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05-06-21 | Mets v. Cardinals +100 | 4-1 | Loss | -100 | 3 h 53 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Cardinals remain atop the NL Central after yesterday's doubleheader split. They have won 9 of their last 12 (+$615) while averaging almost 5.0 runs per game at the plate. The Mets can't hit, averaging just 3.1 runs per game, and they'll face a capable right-hander in John Ganr, who checks in with a 2.16 ERA in his five outings. We get a terrific price on a hot home team, as they look to make it 3 out of 4 in this series. |
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05-06-21 | Brewers v. Phillies UNDER 6.5 | 0-2 | Win | 100 | 1 h 47 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units It’s getaway day in Philadelphia and the two starters have good control to stay ahead of the hitters by getting the calls from the home plate umpire. Brandon Woodruff is going longer than ever so far this season — 6 innings in each of his last four starts, 7 innings before that. He has walked only 9 in 35 innings and has a 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, plus a good bullpen behind him. Zach Wheeler has pitched 8 innings of 1-hit ball, then 7 innings, in his last two starts. Both offenses are in the bottom third of MLB in Hits per Run. Strand those few baserunners you put on, guys! |
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05-05-21 | Rangers v. Twins OVER 8.5 | 3-1 | Loss | -108 | 7 h 46 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units This isn’t Koufax-Marichal or Bieber-Cole. It’s Hyeon-Jong Yang in his Major League starting debut for Texas, against Lewis ‘Don’t Call Me Jim’ Thorpe. Yang spent 14 years in Korean baseball so he’s no kid, but still. Meanwhile, Thorpe is a lefty and the Rangers actually average about 7.0 runs per games when the other side starts a southpaw. That includes last night, when they got only 1 run in 5 1/3 innings against lefty JA Happ. But Happ had been pitching well and even if Yang does likewise, this Twins bullpen is a mess. They’re afraid to put Alex Colome in games now, with good reason. But they don’t have great options whoever they turn to. Thorpe’s most recent start lasted 4 innings and although he allowed only 2 runs in 4 innings, the Twins’ bullpen came in and did its usual lousy job in a 10-3 loss. |
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05-05-21 | Indians v. Royals +145 | 5-4 | Loss | -100 | 7 h 37 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Royals are sizable underdogs after losing the first two games of this series, squaring off against Cleveland ace Shane Bieber. But KC is averaging 5.5 runs per game vs. righthanders (+$310), and they have a capable arm in Brady Singer, who checks in with a 3.09 ERA in his five appearances this year. The Indians average just 3.8 runs per game vs. righties, so we'll look for the Royals to get on track at Kaufman Stadium. |
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05-05-21 | 76ers -13.5 v. Rockets | 135-115 | Win | 100 | 6 h 25 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Houston’s Christian Wood is dealing with ankle and quad issues and he indicated on Sunday that he could miss a couple of games. Wood has been a rare bright spot for Houston and there is no need to push the guy as the Rockets are dead last in the West. Philly will be trying to get that Number One seed in the East and these are the kind of games they must have. Of the 6 games after this one, the Sixers have 4 games against teams that are not in the playoff picture. Philly was in a tricky spot when they placed Houston in February. They were in the first game back home after going 2 and 2 on the road and they beat the Rockets without Ben Simmons. The Rockets also got a big game that night from DeMarcus Cousins, who has since moved on to the Clippers. |
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05-05-21 | Blazers -12 v. Cavs | Top | 141-105 | Win | 100 | 6 h 59 m | Show |
Rating: 5 Unit NBA Game of the Week Lots o’ guys on the Blazers can put the ball in the hole, from many different places on the floor. The Cavaliers, not so much. They score the fewest points per game in the NBA (103.9). Although they are scoring at a better rate lately (1.097 points per possession the last two weeks, better than eight other teams), their defense in this span has been the worst: 1.194 points per possession for the other guys. Cavaliers’ head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Mr. “Good Problem to Have,” has asked the team that has made the fewest three-pointers per game in the league to take more of them. Nothin’ like taking a bad team and asking it to do more of something it hasn’t done well -- 34% on that shot, next to last on the season and only 34.5% in their 1-9 SU stretch the last 10 games, which includes last night’s overtime loss vs. Phoenix in which they took +12.5 points and did not cover. That’s what bad teams do – lose in a manner you’d think is close to impossible. |
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05-05-21 | Celtics -11 v. Magic | 132-96 | Win | 100 | 5 h 27 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units A two-game win streak for Orlando. Will wonders ever cease? They actually began the season 4-0 and then injuries and losses piled up, then trades. The most they’ve won consecutively is three (New York, Golden State, Detroit), one time, in late February. They’ve lost by 27 and 16 points to Celtics so far, when Boston played without Jason Tatum and Kemba Walker the first time, then held the Magic to 38.1% shooting when those guys played and Orlando still had Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier in the starting lineup. |
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05-05-21 | Braves v. Nationals +120 | 5-3 | Loss | -100 | 6 h 47 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Not only did Braves’ righthander Huascar Ynoa pitch 7 shutout innings of 4-hit ball against the Nationals last night, but he also hit a grand slam in their 6-1 win. That’s ridiculous. Today the Braves throw a lefty at the Nats, who sport the best team batting average against southpaws (.305) and the second best OPS (.869). Max Fried has been no ordinary lefty but he was much less |
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05-05-21 | Braves v. Nationals OVER 8.5 | 5-3 | Loss | -121 | 5 h 27 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Unit The Nationals beat Max Fried 10-4 last season. They beat him 7-6 about a month ago, getting 8 hits and 5 runs in 2 innings against him. Fried followed up that start with 4 innings of work against Miami in which he allowed 9 hits and 8 runs in a 14-8 loss. Hey, at least the Braves can hit their way back from deficits if Fried form holds in his first start since then. Atlanta has been horrible against left-handed pitching, but just fine against righties, which is Erick Fedde’s side and Fedde doesn’t seem to have a Hall of Fame tag hung on that arm. The Braves who’ve faced him have partied to a .384 Batting Average and .611 Slugging Percentage. |
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05-05-21 | Mets v. Cardinals -102 | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 4 h 54 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Mets fired their two batting coaches, and now Jacob deGrom’s Tuesday start was missed due to a sore lat muscle. Lucky for them yesterday was rained out. But their hitters who aren’t hitting are still facing a stranger, whether it’s Johan Oviedo or Kwang-Hyun Kim. Both are doing just fine so far. Marcus Stroman is fine, too, but the Mets couldn’t support him well enough vs. Philadelphia last time out in a 2-1 loss. Tonight, a lousy hitting team with two days off since they last swung the bats shows up with some rust on them, too. |
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05-04-21 | Raptors +10 v. Clippers | 100-105 | Win | 100 | 8 h 35 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The home side has lost three straight but drops in class from Phoenix-Denver in the last two, to the East’s #11 Raptors. Toronto’s desperation and revenge paid off on this floor vs. the Lakers the other night. At this point, what are the Clippers playing for? At #4 in the West, they lead the #5-6-7 Dallas-Lakers-Portland cluster by 6.5 games with seven to play. Do they seem like a team that would bust its ass to get back to #3, or #2, or #1 in this span? Heck no. Lakers and Knicks are on deck prior to four road games to close out the regular season, the final two gimmes at Houston and OKC. |
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05-04-21 | Blue Jays v. A's -119 | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 7 h 15 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Athletics have the best record in the AL, after winning last night's series opener. They own an 8-3 record vs. left-handers (+$445) and should make short work of Anthony Kay, who floundered in his only start (10.81 ERA). Cole Irvin has looked sharp in his five starts (3.67 ERA), and he's taking on a Toronto team that is only 2-6 (-$390) in night games on the road. A very reasonable price on the hot home team tonight at the Coliseum. |
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05-04-21 | Rays v. Angels -118 | 8-3 | Loss | -118 | 7 h 19 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Ever since the Rays waved bye-bye to Alex Cobb, he has pitched well against them. In 2018 for the Orioles he faced them twice in two weeks, in 4-3 losses. He went 6 and 7 innings, a quality start each time. He faced them twice in 2020 in a 6-3 win and a 2-1 loss. He has allowed only 1 home to them in 62 at-bats. The lineup that supports him in L.A. is better than it was in Baltimore, for sure. Shane McClanahan goes at it in his second appearance of the season after allowing 5 hits and 2 runs in 4 innings home vs. Oakland. The guy who started last night’s game for them, Tyler Glasnow (AL-best 0.87 WHIP), gave them 6 innings of 3-run ball. McClanahan probably won’t do better and the Rays are hitting only .224 as a team. The 7 runs they scored last night was their most in two weeks. |
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05-04-21 | Rangers v. Twins OVER 8.5 | 6-3 | Win | 102 | 5 h 11 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units Former Twins righthander Kyle Gibson has been doing all right for the Rangers in his 2020 short season and so far in 2021. One would think that at first glance, coming back to Minnesota for the first time since they waved bye-bye to the guy would be a great spot for him to continue his resurgence. But this Twins lineup isn’t as bad as the team’s 11-16 record would indicate. They’ve been hitting the ball better lately and most of their struggles have been against left-handed pitching. There is also the matter of Gibson having been owned by Andrelton Simmons and Josh Donaldson, while they were members of other teams. Simmons is 7-for-20 with a double-triple and homer against Gibson, Donaldson even better at 6-for-13 with a double and 3 homers. JA Happ is off two very good outings for the Twins, but against light-hitting Detroit and Cleveland. The Rangers aren’t lighting up opposing pitchers in general but they’re hitting better than those other two offenses and have averaged better than 7 runs per outing in games started by opposing lefties. |
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05-04-21 | White Sox v. Reds -108 | 9-0 | Loss | -108 | 5 h 20 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Unit MLB Play of the Day As far as starting pitching in this era of Major League Baseball is concerned, Reds’ righthander Jeff Hoffman has had four very passable starts. He’s yet to give up more than 3 runs, and gave up only 1 hit to the Dodgers on April 27. Woulda been nice if he hadn’t walked 5 of them, but they won the game anyway. He is supported by the best-hitting home team in MLB with the Reds averaging 7.73 runs per game in this park, as a well as a Major League best Hits per Run rate of 1.54. The White Sox have been better vs. lefties than righties since the beginning of last season. Dylan Cease has one good start out of five, his most recent. But it came against the Detroit Tigers, the worst-hitting team in MLB. When your best was against the worst, at home, then your worst might come against the best, on the road. |
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05-04-21 | Tigers v. Red Sox OVER 8.5 | 7-11 | Win | 100 | 5 h 43 m | Show | |
Rating: 4 Units Although the Tigers are scoring only 2.7 runs per game, this could be a situation where the Red Sox go Over the total on their own. Guys who have faced him have clubbed Detroit starter Michael Fulmer: .500 for Xander Bogaerts, .500 for Marwin Gonzalez. Detroit’s bullpen ERA hasn’t gotten any lower since getting off to a 6.00+ start. It’s currently at 6.51 and Fulmer is no innings eater. He’s 3 or 4 innings, usually. |
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05-04-21 | Hornets -4 v. Pistons | 102-99 | Loss | -110 | 5 h 38 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units The Magic were in MoTown on Monday. They caught Detroit flat-footed in the middle quarter and that led to an Orlando victory. The Hornets hosted Miami on Sunday and the Heat cruised to victory but the Hornets still moved the ball with 30 assists. Charlotte also played good perimeter defense in defeat. The Hornets have 3 games after this matchup and they will need help to get to that 6th seed. Charlotte just handled the Pistons last Saturday when they got 29 points from Terry Rozier. That game marked the return of LaMelo Ball and he had 11 points, 7 boards, 8 assists, a steal and 2 rejections. |
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05-04-21 | Suns -12.5 v. Cavs | 134-118 | Win | 100 | 5 h 37 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units OKC was saving it up for the Suns and the heavily favored Suns could beat that |
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05-04-21 | Islanders -1.5 v. Sabres | 3-4 | Loss | -100 | 4 h 26 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Sabres scored the upset last night but the Isles should bounce right back this evening. Prior to last night, the Isles had beaten the Sabres, by multiple goals, in three straight meetings. While the Sabres managed four goals last night, they're just 1-11 the past 12 times that they scored four or more in their previous game. While the moneyline is expensive, we're able to get a positive money return, when laying -1.5 goals. Expect the Sabres to have trouble scoring against the stingy and revenge-minded Isles |
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05-03-21 | Orioles v. Mariners -125 | 5-3 | Loss | -125 | 10 h 49 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Some may be willing to take a chance on Dean (Chance? Dean?) Kremer as a slight road dog. But his spring training ERA was 6.32 ERA in 15 2/3 innings of work, with 17 hits and 8 walks (3 home runs). This, when you pitch for the Orioles, earns you a spot on the opening day roster and starts in the month of April. And, another today in May. This, after three more for-real starts in which his ERA is 8.40. The 24 hits (4 home runs) and 6 walks have helped to create a 2.00 WHIP. Perhaps this is why the Mariners have been on the fence with an “Undecided” for so long, because it doesn’t matter who they start? Reports of Eric Swanson are fine with us. He has thrown only 2 innings so far: 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 BB at Baltimore on April 13. Him, or a reasonable facsimile. |
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05-03-21 | Blazers v. Hawks -2 | 114-123 | Win | 100 | 8 h 53 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Four-for-four! The Blazers’ revenge tour is a success, as they have beaten Indiana, Memphis, Brooklyn and Boston in a six-day span on the road. All four had beaten them in Portland. Crazy, stuff, eh? But not at all unpredictable, as we’ve selected the Blazers in a few of these. But the six-game trip is a guaranteed winning one. Atlanta did not beat them in Portland. The Blazers won yesterday in Boston, while the Hawks were off. Only eight fellas played for them. Now that the Blazers have pulled even with the Lakers for the #6 spot – the “last in” to avoid the play-in series – this arena becomes the invisible force field to stall their momentum and help Lebron avoid the indignity of a king needing to play his way into the postseason fray. |
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05-03-21 | Pacers v. Wizards -3 | 141-154 | Win | 100 | 7 h 57 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units The Pacers lost to the D.C. Boys in March in a game where Washington missed Bradley Beal. Russell Westbrook had a monster line with 35 points, 14 boards and 21 assists. The Wizards were a plus 16 in points in the paint in that contest and a plus 7 in fast-break points. Washington has been rolling along. They have won 10 of 12. One of the losses in this time frame was in overtime and the other was by a point. Washington is a top 10 team in rebounding and they put pressure on teams since they score 115 a night. |
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05-03-21 | Magic v. Pistons -1.5 | 119-112 | Loss | -110 | 7 h 55 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Victimized by the mildly advertised return of Malik Monk and the surprise return of LaMelo Ball, the Pistons went down in flames at Charlotte on Saturday. Head coach Dwayne Casey has been less inclined to lose home games, in which his “rebuild” is an underrated 17-12 ATS. Orlando identifies more as a “torn down” team than a rebuild at the present time, is 9-21 SU away and coming off a home instant-revenge win vs. Memphis. Before the Magic traded half the team, they split two home games in three days with the Pistons in February, Detroit making the necessary adjustments to win the second. |
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05-03-21 | Pacers v. Wizards OVER 245.5 | Top | 141-154 | Win | 100 | 6 h 13 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit NBA Total of the Day Normally we’d say that ‘What went up must come down’ after the Pacers scored 152 points vs. OKC in their last game. But coming down 28 points from 152 still leaves you with 124, and the opponent is the Wizards, known for their sizable defensive yields (and offensive stat-stuffing). The Stat Guys, Westbrook and Beal, see this as a personal challenge to get to 153 points. ‘Hey, these guys can score. We need to score 40 per quarter!’ Westbook figures to have a free pass to attack the hoop all night long in the absence of Myles Turner, Indiana’s defensive anchor/shot-blocker. First-season Pacers’ head coach Nate Bjorken has ruined their prior defensive systems as he is intent on installing and executing his ‘get it and go’ offensive system from the Raptors. Which is the main reason why they have a losing record. But everybody’s scoring average is up, so no harm done. |
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05-03-21 | Penguins -158 v. Flyers | 2-7 | Loss | -158 | 9 h 18 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Pittsburgh won't be taking the Flyers for granted, as they've lost four of six in the season series thus far. Pittsburgh also needs to keep the foot on the gas until the final game, as both the Islanders and Capitals are hot on their heels. Pittsburgh comes in with plenty of momentum as well, holding on for an OT win at Washington, before then dominating in every facet two nights later in a 3-0 shutout win. The Flyers allow 3.5 GPG this year. Philly enters off two straight losses to the lowly Devils. |
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05-02-21 | Knicks -10.5 v. Rockets | 122-97 | Win | 100 | 10 h 6 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Houston with 16 wins is dead last in the West. The Rockets hosted the Warriors on Saturday and Golden State went into their former championship mode and crushed Houston in the third quarter. The Rockets only scored 12 points in the third stanza. The defense has been there all season for the Knicks but only 4 teams in the league are better at offensive three-point field-goal percentage. New York had every right to go through the motions the other time they met Houston this season. The Knicks were coming off a win over Washington 24 hours earlier but they held Houston to 8 for 43 shooting from downtown. That stat is no fluke as New York is the best in the business guarding the deep ball. The Knicks only failed to cover twice in April. |
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05-02-21 | Blazers +1.5 v. Celtics | 129-119 | Win | 100 | 10 h 33 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Celtics scored 143 points on this floor the other night, but didn’t cover the spread. Portland is loaded with more dangerous scorers than that San Antonio team and takes just as good care of the rock. If Portland is looking at their current road trip as a revenge tour, then it’s going very well so far with wins at Indiana and Brooklyn, who’d beaten them at home, as did Boston. |
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05-02-21 | Angels v. Mariners +143 | 0-2 | Win | 143 | 6 h 10 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Professional managers and coaches say it all the time: ‘Your worst performance is often followed by your best.’ Mariners’ lefty Justus Sheffield allowed a career high 12 hits to the Astros in 5 1/3 innings of work last time out. “You’re not going to have all three of your plus pitches every time,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said afterwards. “There were a couple of sliders that just didn’t have that finish to it, that bite. Not quite as sharp as he has been in the past.” Well, in sports, the past is present. We hope. Angels who’ve faced Sheffield are 5-for-26 against him, 1 double and 0 home runs. Dylan Bundy has made five starts for the Angels and has yet to be credited with a win (0-2). That’s not all his fault as his numbers are fine. But the Angels’ bullpen is not. |
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05-02-21 | Nets +2 v. Bucks | 114-117 | Loss | -102 | 6 h 34 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units Bucks rebounded to win in Chicago after losing in Houston but the Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic gagged with 1-for-9 from three-point range. Blake Griffin won’t be spending much time out on the perimeter for the Nets, who shoot from the outside a whole heck of a lot better no matter who wins their nightly game of spin the bottle and gets to leave the court for a night. |
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05-02-21 | Royals +200 v. Twins | 4-13 | Loss | -100 | 1 h 59 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Royals remain atop all of MLB with a 16-9 record following yesterday's blowout win, yet they are enormous underdogs in today's rubber match at Target Field. Minnesota continues to flounder, losing 3 of their last 11 (-$815) and they are now only 2-8 (-$1120) in day games at home. Brad Keller has been sub-par in 2021, hence the generous price. But KC is now 11-5 when facing righthanders (+$610), so we like our chances vs. Berrios & Co. |
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05-02-21 | Astros v. Rays UNDER 8.5 | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -120 | 2 h 24 m | Show |
Rating: 4 Unit You have to be a pretty good pitcher for your team to be a -130 favorite in Tampa, who is last year’s AL Champ. Cristian Javier of the Astros is becoming pretty good. He hasn’t allowed a run in his last three starts, and only 8 hits in those 17 innings. Rich Hill usually gives 5 fine innings and gives way to the bullpen that started it all with the bullpen thing, which got them to the World Series last year. |
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05-02-21 | Marlins v. Nationals UNDER 7 | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 3 h 8 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The Nats have won three straight, and are home with ace Max Scherzer on the mound while tied for first place. Big game! What could go wrong? Well, plenty but a pitcher of Scherzer’s caliber, as a relatively short favorite compared to where he’s typically been on the odds board, seems like a decent opportunity. Washington is down around Mets-Tigers level near the bottom of the ol’ Runs per Game chart (3.65), but hidden within that number is a Major-League high .312 Batting Average against left-handed pitching. Miami lefty Trevor Rogers has out-dueled Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes (impressive!) and Baltimore’s Bruce Zimmermann (not so impressive!) in his last two starts and has allowed 0 runs in three of his five. That’s nothing to sneeze at during allergy season but all we need is for the Nats to squeeze out one more run in a low-scoring game for us to be 2-0 in it. Scherzer is an ace off a bad outing in a strange ballpark (Toronto’s, in Dunedin, FL) coming home to friendly confines. He helped Washington win a couple of 1-0 games before that. |
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05-01-21 | Pelicans v. Wolves +4.5 | 140-136 | Win | 100 | 9 h 23 m | Show | |
Rating: 3 Units New Orleans had lost 6 of 8 before travelling to Oklahoma City on Thursday. In that game the Pelicans got good games out of their two stars but they got a break when OKC turned it over 22 times. Minnesota has won 4 in a row, 5 of 6 and the loss during this team frame came at Sacramento when they blew a fourth-quarter lead. D’Angelo Russell has embraced his current role off the bench as he is a legit starter. The Wolves dynamic rookie Anthony Edwards continues to improve. In Anthony’s last 7 games he has had 23, 28, 16, 23, 14, 19 and 25 points. |
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05-01-21 | Heat -11 v. Cavs | 124-107 | Win | 100 | 9 h 21 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units Second of home back-to-backs for the crummy Cavaliers, with the Heat rested since Wednesday night’s 116-111 home win vs. the Spurs. Miami has had some sort of voodoo over the Cavs in recent seasons, 27-7 SU and the set-up is obviously no help to Cleveland’s chance of bettering their fortunes in the alleged series. East #7 Miami would be in a play-in slot if the season ended today, so they have a reason to show up. |
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05-01-21 | Cardinals -139 v. Pirates | 12-5 | Win | 100 | 8 h 55 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units We keep saying that a) good things happen for the Cardinals when Jack Flaherty starts, and b) Jack Flaherty will be a -160 or greater option before long. And yet, he keeps coming back at considerably lesser odds, this evening against a so-so foe. The Cardinals are 5-0 in Flaherty’s starts and he stretched out to 7 innings last time against the Reds, allowing 3 hits and 1 run. His WHIP is 0.95; Pirates who have faced him are hitting just .192 against Flaherty with 0 home runs in 82 at bats. Seems like a bit much to overcome for a home team scoring only 3.8 runs per game and countering with a ho-hum, hangin’ on journeyman Trevor Cahill. Paul Goldschmidt is 3-for-4, Matt Carpenter 6-for-13 against Cahill. Nolan Arenado is 3-for-12 but 2 of the hits were doubles. Cahill’s ERA is 7.11 with a 1.42 WHIP after 19 innings of alternating bad-good starts, most recently good. |
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05-01-21 | Mets v. Phillies -121 | 5-4 | Loss | -121 | 7 h 21 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units The anemic Mets offense waster another fine pitching performance last night, losing a 2-1 decision in the series opener. They're averaging just 2.7 runs per game, and have a 1-6 record in night games on the road (-$725 so far). Zack Wheeler has been effective in his five starts for the Phillies, and the team has a 9-4 record here at Citizens Bank (+$590). The cheap price on the home team is hard to resist. |
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05-01-21 | Cubs v. Reds OVER 8.5 | 3-2 | Loss | -120 | 5 h 28 m | Show | |
Rating: 2 Units A couple of struggling righthanders may re-discover their best stuff today. Then again, they may not. Last night’s Cubs/Reds went Over for us 8-6. Today, the Cubs starter enters with a 9.47 ERA and 2.21 WHIP after his first 19 innings as a member of this organization, his third in the last three seasons. Zach Davies has more walks (15) than strikeouts (14) and is pitching to the lineup that averages the most runs per game in its home ballpark, 7.77. Meanwhile, the Reds have lost four of Luis Castillo’s five starts. He allowed more hits than innings pitched in all four losses. His ERA and WHIP of 6.29 and 1.60 are nowhere near his career averages of 3.74 and 1.19. Reds’ bullpen ERA: 5.81 |
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05-01-21 | Royals +126 v. Twins | Top | 11-3 | Win | 126 | 4 h 33 m | Show |
Rating: 3 Unit MLB Play of the Day Life in a parked car at 5 am is no fun and it pretty much inhibits you from being at your best in several key day-to-day responsibilities. Royals lefthander Danny Duffy seems to have finally figured that out, for the time being, and avoided that kind of existence. Although his 5 innings of 4-hit, shutout ball against the Tigers six days ago is next to meaningless because it came against a team that can’t do anything vs. lefties, he’d made three quality starts prior to that. With the Royals still in first place in the American League Central despite last night’s 9-1 loss here, he enters with a WHIP of 1.04, ERA of 0.39. Duffy made three straight starts against the Twins in August last season and got better each time. The Twins won all three. Minnesota acquired Matt Shoemaker from the Angels after L.A. could stomach him no more. He is a long, black-bearded mediocrity and the Twins have lost his last three starts 8-6, 7-0 and 6-2. |